A by-invitation-only reading of the new musical Republic will be presented April 13 at the Acorn Theatre in the Theatre Row Complex.

Beth Leavel

The Artists Theatre Group will present the 7 PM reading. The cast boasts Tony Award winner Beth Leavel as well as James Moye, Lauren Worsham, Kelli Barrett and Jimmi Kilduff with newcomers Preston Truman Boyd and John Bambery.

Republic features music and lyrics by Dylan Glatthorn, who co-wrote the book with Paul Alexander.

"The setting of Republic," according to press notes, "is the turn of the century, 1900, Ireland. Weary of British rule, the Irish patriots have set out on a path to fight for their own independence. That unrest leads to the Easter Rising of 1916, the now historic, week-long revolt in Dublin that created an insurgency that, four years later, ended with the birth of the Irish republic. In Republic, Glatthorn makes this sweeping, panoramic story human—and ultimately deeply moving—by telling it through the lives of two brothers: one with the heart of a rebel, the other with the soul of a poet."

Glatthorn will serve as musical director for the reading with sound design by Matt Everett.